Revenue & Benefits Officer

at  JGP Resourcing

ABOUT THE BOROUGH

This special place in South West London between the capital and the country has been a Royal borough longer than anywhere else - it is where the first kings of England were crowned.
Today it is a vibrant and diverse borough, with a long history and strong cultural and community heritage. Kingston’s riverside location, fantastic retail offer, historic market place and church, parks and gardens all make Kingston town centre the vibrant space it is, and each of our district town centres (Surbiton, New Malden, Tolworth and Chessington) have something unique to offer.
Situated in Zone 6, Kingston is among the best-connected town centres in London - with direct train links from Kingston and Surbiton stations to Clapham Junction and London Waterloo, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and Tramlink.
Kingston’s people are innovative and entrepreneurial, and have a strong sense of community pride. The borough has been home to great industry and creativity for many years, reflected in assets such as the Rose Theatre, the International Youth Arts Festival and Kingston University, which boasts more new graduate business start-ups than any other.
We have seen tremendous generosity and compassion within our communities, particularly in response to COVID-19, which is a demonstration of Kingston’s key strength. The council offers a strong level of support to vulnerable groups and those who need additional support, which has also increased significantly as a result of the pandemic. Like most places, the average age of our population is rising as more people are living longer, so we are working closely with residents to help them maintain their independence and further improve the cost effectiveness of our service to meet the ongoing rise in demand.
Kingston is home to people from diverse and interesting cultures and backgrounds, which helps to create the rich sense of community shared across the borough. In particular, Kingston has a large Sri Lankan Tamil community and is home to more people from Korea than any other part of the UK.

ABOUT US

The Revenue and Benefit Service is a highly motivated and successful team committed to achieving the highest collection rates, lowest processing times and best customer experience for residents and businesses across the borough.
The Revenue Service includes the collection of Council Tax, National Non Domestic Rates (NNDR), Business Improvement District (BIDs). The Service plays a fundamental role in the financial well being of the Authority. The efficient collection of Council Tax and Non Domestic Rates (under the retention scheme) maximises income available to the authority to meet its strategic aims and objectives. The Service maintains an accurate database of liable persons, reviews and decides discounts and exemptions and undertakes a debt recovery procedure through the Magistrates Court, County Court (bankruptcies and charging orders), Fines and Bailiff action.
The Benefit Service plays an important role in ensuring financial support for residents on low income with the aim of maximising income of residents and reducing the risk of homelessness. The Service administers Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction Scheme, and the Discretionary Housing Payment Fund In addition they play a significant role in the welfare reform changes working collaboratively with other Services and partner organisations and the voluntary sector.

KEY JOB REQUIREMENTS

You will need to be an effective communicator and be able to work under pressure and meet targets . Good written and numeracy skills are essential as are good customer care skills and the ability to consistently achieve high levels of accuracy.
You will need to have experience with dealing with customer enquiries in person, over the telephone and in writing. Previous experience of Revenue and or Benefit is not essential but would be desirable,
You will need to possess a minimum of 5 GCSEs at grade A to C or the equivalent including English and Maths.
The ideal candidate will need to be well organised, attentive to detail and possess a flexible and adaptable work style and attitude.
We are looking for a candidate who is self motivated and a quick learner who is also willing to be an effective team player in a busy and dynamic environment.

To be part of a high performing Revenue and Benefit Service whose main objectives are to maximise collection rates and accurately process claims for housing benefit, discounts and exemptions and provide an excellent customer service. To work collaboratively to achieve the goals of both the Service and the Council.

• To acquire and maintain a detailed knowledge of either Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction Scheme Regulations (CTRS), or Council Tax, NNDR and BIDS regulations to enable the processing of a cross section of work in that area and to acquire and maintain sufficient knowledge of the other service areas within Revenues and Benefits to achieve a good customer service provision.
• To work effectively to achieve high accuracy levels.
• To efficiently manage an ‘intray’ of work in order to meet targets both individual and those set for the team.
• Able to explain the Council’s and Government’s schemes clearly to customers and identify where customers require additional support.
• To be able to effectively deal with difficult and or distressed customers and manage confrontational situations by phone and face to face with members of the public.